Oops

Of course, it’s fixed now, but the big “Go Live” switch on of the new content-managed website over the weekend was – to be frank – a bit disastrous. A small matter of the web server failing to connect to the database was the main problem. And of course with a content managed website it’s – um – all on the database. So, bit of a clang there then.

Other than that, it kind of went OK. There’s still stuff from “testing” that’s visible on the live site which isn’t really something you want happening. And the style-sheet was pigged on a basic problem, as a certain person *cough*Stinky hadn’t remembered to make sure the page background colour was defined – thus the site looked shite if you’d got a background colour set to anything except white.

But it’s all fixed now, and beginning to look pretty good. About bloody time!

All Quiet

It’s a peaceful weekend chez Lyle – the calm before the storm of the rest of the month. Tonight is the Cowboy Junkies gig, and I’m hoping I can get some good photos from it too – it’s at Academy 3, so a nice small space. We’ll see.

Other than that, it’s a far nicer weekend than had been expected weather-wise, and yesterday involved a large wander around the city centre, and my first (and last) visit to the inside of Urbis. The design of the building is fantastic, and as regular readers know, I love it to bits. I just wish I could say the same for the contents. Thank chuff it’s free to get in…

Global Vote 2004

(via ChasingDaisy)

Even if you are not a US citizen, the November 2 presidential election will have a huge impact on your life. The very idea of democracy requires that you should have a say in choosing who determines your destiny. This site therefore allows non-Americans to vote in the 2004 US presidential election.

GLOBALVOTE2004.ORG is totally neutral. You may vote for any candidate. Your vote will be kept secret. And you may only vote once.We will count the votes 48 hours before the election and submit the result to the US media. Just letting US citizens know how the world has voted could influence what looks like a tight race.

Go on, add your vote to the global “Die, George, Die!” appeal.

Testing Times

Just under a month ago, I booked for a driving theory test. At the time the website was shite, needing Internet Explorer, and about 4 pop-up windows. And all it said at the time was “Pearson Test Centre, Oldham”. Not the most helpful. But hey, it’s OK, because “confirmation will be sent out by post”. Will it fuckerslike.

So, I call them today (yes, I should’ve done it a couple of days ago, but it’s been manic) to ask where the frig the centre is, assuming it’s in the town centre somewhere. Um, no, it’s on (they say) Whitney Court. Which, according to Streetmap doesn’t even exist. Anywhere in the UK. Not the most helpful.

So, because I’ve no confirmation of the test, and no clue how to get there (the expression “Just by the station” doesn’t help much in this case, as Oldham doesn’t have a station.) I ask to move it to another date – not an unreasonable request, I’d have thought.

Oh no, that’s most unreasonable. It’s not their problem that they haven’t sent out confirmation, and it’s not their fault that the location doesn’t exist according to any other sources. This is all my fault, I should apparently know where to go, via some form of telepathic connection with the test centre. They’re not prepared to move the date, nor to refund the charge. So far as I can tell, this comes down to the company being utterly shite. So it’s going to be a fight… Joy.

Now to be named “Lucky”

I didn’t see this yesterday, but there’s a little story on the BBC about a deer that got hit by a car, and survived. The driver thought he’d only hit a stone (unlikely, even a muntjac deer is likely to have rather more size/weight than a stone, but OK) and carried on to work. At which point his colleagues pointed to the deer that was still wedged – alive and only with cuts and bruises – in the front of his car. There’s a photo included in the story, so look and be amazed.

New Opportunities

It seems like it’s taken forever, (although I know it’s actually been an exceptionally speedy process) but I’m pleased to announce that I’ve got my first contract to do some photographs. Oh, and design a website too – although that’s nowhere near a first. But the photographs are the real thing, I can’t believe it, it’s a start. It’s for a local charity dealing with soup-kitchens, the homeless, and disowned and dispossessed around the area.

Over the next month I’ll be out with the people involved in the charity, doing photos at the soup-kitchens, and also in the red-light areas. We’ve discussed some ideas already, and then we’ll see how it goes. It’s a start, and if it does work out, it’s got the potential to open up a lot of other markets for me too. Where it’ll all take me, only time will tell – but these first steps feel damn, damn good.

Bizarro Mundo

This announcement has just come round via work e-mail.

THe Café – the Civic Centre’s new dining area – is now up and running.

THe café (the ‘e’ is for electronic, as in e-mail) will serve lunches between 11.30am and 1.45pm every day, with coffees and snacks also available until 4.00pm.

The new facilities include a coffee area where you can relax, chat and enjoy a drink or snack. There is also a more formal seating area, with tables and chairs, where you can enjoy a lunchtime meal.

Yes, they’ve finally added in a canteen. There used to be one years ago, apparently, which was then withdrawn because it wasn’t cost-effective.

I’m still to work out the relevance of that “the e is for electronic” – corporate bollocks at its best.